Peppermint and Panda Eyeshttp://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk
Sat, 15 Oct 2016 18:55:40 +0000en-GBhourly1Scuba Diving in Belizehttp://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/scuba-diving-belize/
http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/scuba-diving-belize/#respondMon, 15 Aug 2016 19:43:09 +0000http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/?p=2145If you’ve been keeping up with my recent posts, you’ll know that I recently got back from the holiday of a lifetime. My family and I spent a great few days in Miami, and then we flew to the island of Ambergris Caye in Belize for 10 days. I had such an amazing time, and […]

]]>If you’ve been keeping up with my recent posts, you’ll know that I recently got back from the holiday of a lifetime. My family and I spent a great few days in Miami, and then we flew to the island of Ambergris Caye in Belize for 10 days. I had such an amazing time, and I promise this is my last post.I was particularly excited for this holiday because I knew I was finally going to get to achieve one of my dreams – learning to scuba dive! I’ve been wanting to dive since I was tiny, watching my parents dive on the Great Barrier Reef.

The course was super easy; I was taught all the basics of the equipment, and then had a quick dive in the pool. We then moved out to a 30ft confined water dive at ‘Mexico Rocks’, where we got within centimetres of hundreds of fish, sting rays and even a turtle! We also got a brief glimpse of some nurse sharks. The next day, we did a couple of slightly deeper 40ft dives at ‘Mexico Rocks Cave’, a small cave where lobster and huge sea cucumbers live.

On the third day, we moved out to the proper reef and did two 60ft dives over some amazing coral ‘fingers’. There were plenty more fish, colourful corals and lobster there, and it felt absolutely amazing to be amongst the sea life for such a long time. It felt like flying! After that, I’d completed all my official dives and just had to take my test.

I did lots of other dives on the reef before that, including a particularly nerve-wracking one. Our dive-master told us that we were going to a reef where the hammerheads usually hang out, as my dad wanted to see one in the wild. I wasn’t particularly keen, and luckily, we couldn’t tie our boat up at that site, so we went nearby instead.

The whole dive we were followed by a nurse shark, which was amazing at first, but our dive-master was spearfishing for lion-fish and lobster, so she got very excited when she noticed the lion-fish on the spear and came really close. Nurse sharks themselves aren’t dangerous, but I knew the hammerheads were close and we were carrying a dead fish around. Divers very, very rarely get attacked by sharks… unless they’re spearfishing!

As we swam back to the boat, four big remora appeared. Remora are those weird flat headed fish that stick themselves to big things; whales, dolphins, large turtles… and sharks. If they appear in the open water, it’s ‘usually a sign that something bigger is around’. I was glad to get back on the boat! Looking back, though, it was a really cool dive.

After watching about 2.5 hours of seriously dull ‘skill’ videos (made even more boring by the fact I’d rather be sitting in the sun!), I took my test on the last morning, and passed with 96%! Now I’m an official PADI Open Water Scuba Diver, and I’m so so happy.

My current plan is to take a year, or more, out after uni and going back to Australia and the barrier reef, and train to become a Dive-master! But who knows what’ll happen….

]]>http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/scuba-diving-belize/feed/0Caye Caulker – Belizehttp://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/caye-caulker-belize/
http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/caye-caulker-belize/#respondThu, 11 Aug 2016 21:25:43 +0000http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/?p=2174I Instagrammed the hell out of Belize while I was there, and now I’m rinsing it for all the blog posts its worth! (And it’s worth a fair few because it’s beautiful and I took more photos than I know what to do with.) I have an everlasting love affair with the sea – I […]

]]>I Instagrammed the hell out of Belize while I was there, and now I’m rinsing it for all the blog posts its worth! (And it’s worth a fair few because it’s beautiful and I took more photos than I know what to do with.)

I have an everlasting love affair with the sea – I think I get it from my dad, who’s a fish scientist. If I’d enjoyed GCSE science more, and was less set on a fashion, that might’ve been my career of choice too! I think the animals that live under the waves are amazing but relatively unknown and misunderstood. I’d rather visit the bottom of the ocean than the moon!

(I once made a boy watch Blue Planet when we were ‘Netflix and Chill’ -ing. According to my friends, that’s not the sort of show you’re meant to go for. He fell asleep. I enjoyed it, though.)

I wanted to dedicate a whole post to this day because it was one of my favourites – so here it is: Caye Caulker!

Towards the end of our stay in Belize, we decided to have a break from diving and do something a little different. Belize is home to many amazing sea creatures, including the beautiful manatee. Once I knew that you could snorkel with them, I wasn’t going home until I had!

On our way to the snorkelling site, we went past an area known as ‘The Nursery’. We stopped the boat, at within 2 minutes we were surrounded by nurse sharks! Apparently, it’s a popular fishing area, and the fishermen occasionally feed the sharks so they stick around and come up to boats. Sharks are such gorgeous animals, and it’s nice to be able to appreciate them close up without the fear of being eaten!

The manatees like to hang around in a natural channel, lined by coral, just off the island of Caye Caulker. They’re pretty shy, and can be scared off by boats. There were quite a lot of other people in the area when we got to the site, and as a result, not many manatees.

We went snorkelling over the coral while we waited for them to reappear. It always amazes me how much life you can find on even a rock in the sea, and these ones were covered in starfish and baby fish!

The coral was fascinating, but spotting our first manatee was really something else.

Actually swimming with them was such an incredible experience. They’re honestly so beautiful, with a surprising grace despite their shape! Once one decided we weren’t a threat, she was actually very inquisitive and swam within a couple of metres of us. They’re the calm and gentle labradors of the sea. It’s hardly surprising I loved them so much, as they’re a distant relative of elephants – another of my favourite animals.

(That’s remora following her, not baby manatees!)

Manatees are part of the ‘Sirenia’ family, along with dugongs (no, they’re not the same!). In classical mythology, a ‘siren’ is a word for sea nymph, or mermaid. An odd connection, you might think. But when he first saw a manatee, Christopher Colombus mistook it for a mermaid. He must’ve missed its bearded chin…

After an amazing morning with the manatees, we got back on the boat and headed to nearby Caye Caulker. I thought Belize couldn’t get any better than Ambergris Caye, but somehow Caye Caulker was even more relaxed, beautiful and chilled! We had an amazing lunch in the seaside cafe and then drinks at The Split – a bar built at the edge of the channel formed during a hurricane in the ’60s, that caused the sea to rise up, and split the island in two.

Later that afternoon, back on Ambergris Caye, we took our little golf cart to my Dad’s favourite Belizian coffee shop – Marbucks. It was the cutest little cafe, a little hut just back from the beach with four B&B cabins. The drinks were lovely, but by far the best bit was the owner’s ADORABLE DOGS.

So cute. So friendly. (So fat.)

Swimming with the manatees and visiting Caye Caulker was one of my favourite days in Belize, and I feel so lucky that I’m able to experience such amazing things. If you ever get the chance to see a manatee in the wild, take it!

And if you ever get the opportunity to go to Belize… you know what to do.

]]>http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/caye-caulker-belize/feed/0Ambergris Caye – Belizehttp://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/ambergris-caye-belize/
http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/ambergris-caye-belize/#commentsSat, 30 Jul 2016 17:10:44 +0000http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/?p=2133After spending an amazing couple of days in Miami, which you can read about in my previous photo diary, we carried on to Belize. We caught a short flight to Belize City, and then an even shorter one, on a 10 seater plane, to the beautiful island of Ambergris Caye.We stayed at the gorgeous Portofino […]

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After spending an amazing couple of days in Miami, which you can read about in my previous photo diary, we carried on to Belize. We caught a short flight to Belize City, and then an even shorter one, on a 10 seater plane, to the beautiful island of Ambergris Caye.We stayed at the gorgeous Portofino Resort – it was honestly one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in; beautiful setting, pretty much faultless facilities, and the friendliest staff. It’s set in the most idyllic surroundings; with soft white sand, warm shallow sea and palm trees everywhere. Far out on the horizon is also an incredible reef, but I’ll talk more about that in an upcoming post. If you’re thinking of going to Belize, stay at Portofino. You will not regret it!

About half an hours golf cart ride (basically everyone on the island drives golf carts everywhere!) away is the town of San Pedro. It was such a relaxed, friendly little town and it’s own kind of rustic beautiful. It’s full of amazing restaurants, cute souvenir shops and art galleries. It even has it’s own “Lush”, which is run by an American woman who makes all her own products on the island – I bought a foaming Sea Salt and Sage body scrub, and it is incredible! I wish I’d bought more.

Just another, albeit longer and bumpier, golf cart ride away was the (not so) Secret Beach. The actual beach itself was tiny, with barely enough room for 3 people to lie on! However, there was a large grassy area and snack shack directly behind, and two jetties. The sea itself was so warm and shallow for miles out, with barely a wave. We spent a really chilled afternoon there, along with a couple of friendly pups!I was worried that the weather wouldn’t be great, as BBC weather had said it was dark clouds and thunderstorms every day continually for about a month! However, the weather is completely different to the UK. You see a thunderstorm on the horizon, it approaches, rages for about 10 minutes and moves off. Then the sun comes out and it’s beautiful again – and that’s their rainy season! It was really hot, but there was also a constant breeze which was lovely – cooling, and a great insect repellent. Although I naturally still got bitten loads and got beautiful swellings to match, because my tendency to overreact is immune system deep.

I’ve got a few other posts planned about this particular holiday – I took so many photos and I want to share my favourites! Massive thanks again to my parents for taking me on such an incredible holiday.

]]>http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/ambergris-caye-belize/feed/1Miami Beach Photo Diaryhttp://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/miami-beach-photo-diary/
http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/miami-beach-photo-diary/#commentsWed, 27 Jul 2016 20:55:14 +0000http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/?p=2108Two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Miami with my family, en route to Belize. It was honestly one of the best holidays I’ve ever been on, I seriously enjoyed every single second. So shoutout to my parents, thanks for the amazing holiday! But Miami. It is such a cool city. […]

Two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Miami with my family, en route to Belize. It was honestly one of the best holidays I’ve ever been on, I seriously enjoyed every single second. So shoutout to my parents, thanks for the amazing holiday!

But Miami. It is such a cool city. Although it’s right at the bottom of Florida it has a strong latina vibe, which is why they call it the Capital of Latin America. It was completely different to New York, where I spent five days in February with uni. I almost can’t believe they’re in the same country!

I love writing travel photo diaries, so naturally, I was going to do a few for this holiday. I’m super proud of some of the pictures I took in Miami, you might recognise a lot of them from my Instagram!

After a 9 hour flight from Heathrow, we landed in Miami on Saturday afternoon. We were flying to Belize City early on Tuesday morning, so we had a couple of days to kill in Miami Beach. I made that sound like it was a chore.

Our hotel was really close to the Lincoln Road Mall; Miami Beach’s ‘premier shopping location’. It was such a beautiful, open air shopping centre. My favourite shop has to be Dylan’s Candy Bar – it was like the gift shop for Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory (with more emphasis on the candy, but there was lots of chocolate!).

Me with my giant lollipop.

We also rented bikes and cycled along South Beach (the most Instagrammed beach in the world!). It was such a gorgeous wide pathway, winding alongside the beach. At the end, there’s a large port, and we watched a massive cruise ship and cargo boat heading out to sea. The cruise ships were so big, we could see them on the horizon until the early evening! We also spent a lot of time just chilling on South Beach.

Española Way is a beautiful street not far from Lincoln Road, and it honestly felt like we’d been transported to a little European street. It was lined with restaurants, including a brilliant fish restaurant where we had dinner on the last night, and this adorable French cafe, where I met this cute little cat.

After a couple of nights in Miami Beach, we took two short flights to Ambergris Caye island in Belize, where we spent 10 days. I took hundreds of photos there, and I should get them into a post or two in the next few days/weeks!

]]>If you haven’t noticed, pineapples are everywhere this summer! I love my cacti, and my cacti motifs, but pineapples are quickly becoming some of my favourites. Even if they’re not my favourite things to eat. They just look appealing.

I actually bought the Missguided swimsuit I’ve listed, and I’m absolutely obsessed with it (my mum hates it) – I can’t wait to wear it at the Ibiza closing parties! I also think it could work as a quirky bodysuit … I think I’ll be needing some nipple stickers though.

I’ve also noticed lots of other cute pineapple things around, so here are some of my favourites.

Sorry if this image isn’t the best quality, my internet at home is stuck in 2002 and has a minor breakdown if it’s asked to upload anything too large. I’ll try and fix it as soon as I can.

]]>http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/pineapple-wishlist/feed/0‘Game of Thrones’ Taghttp://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/game-thrones-tag/
http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/game-thrones-tag/#respondMon, 20 Jun 2016 16:57:03 +0000http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/?p=2085Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire is my life. Seriously. I’m currently halfway through my re-read of the books, and for 10 weeks of the year, Monday nights at 9pm are my favourite hour of the week. I can research theories, from crucial to more obscure, on r/asofiaf for hours. There is absolutely nothing […]

I’m currently halfway through my re-read of the books, and for 10 weeks of the year, Monday nights at 9pm are my favourite hour of the week. I can research theories, from crucial to more obscure, on r/asofiaf for hours.

There is absolutely nothing I love more than a good chat about GoT, so when I first saw this tag on Naturally Beige, and immediately knew I had to do it.

Which season did you start watching and what got you into it?

My cousins were really into Game of Thrones, and I borrowed the first book off one of them. I never really got into it as I couldn’t figure out what was going on and who was who. About a year later, I thought trying out the TV show would help me work out the characters better. I started season one when season four was on TV and was obsessed within a few episodes. I started watching live with season five.

Books or TV show?

Books. If you’re a fan, and you haven’t read the books, you are seriously missing out. They are INCREDIBLE. So much more detailed, with hundreds more characters that really flesh out the families and places, and more complex story lines. I feel like you get to know the characters so much better through the books, and so many more of them. I also prefer the books because it’s entirely George R. R. Martin’s world, with no producers, CGI or other limits to his imagination. It’s authentic Westeros.

If you haven’t read the books: you know nothing, Jon Snow.

You are born into one of the noble houses, which is it?

House Tyrell. Margaery is one of my favourite characters: everyone writes her off as just a pretty face, and she knows it. But, she is actually an absolute champion at the ‘game’, and my money is on her taking down the Lannisters and the High Sparrow in some seriously sneaky moves. Highgarden also sounds pretty beautiful (and in the warmer south) and they’ve still got a strong army. I’d love to be part of the brains and beauty package. And who wouldn’t want to be related to the absolute queen that is Olenna Tyrell?

If you could have one of either a dragon or a dire wolf, which would you choose and why?

I think a dragon. Simply because we’re down to 3 direwolves (Shaggy’s not dead and the Umber’s aren’t backing the Boltons), and I have a strong (and immensely sad) feeling that they’re not going to make it to the end. Their deaths so far have all been prophetic (Summer is dead, Winter is coming). Dragons just seem like a safer bet.

Practically speaking, while direwolves do offer an amazing warging experience and relatively good protection, dragons can fly and offer so much more protection with their fire-breathing.

What has been the saddest death for you?

Shireen’s death was the only scene I have ever walked out of. I physically could not watch. The whole concept of burning an innocent child alive to get her dad on the throne, her screams, and to see Selyse abandon her complete devotion to R’Hollr and completely breakdown, later killing herself, because of the horror of what had happened was harrowing. And, of course, #HoldTheDoor. I’d always liked Hodor, but he became one of my favourite characters after that incredible scene. For him and Summer to love and believe in Bran so much that they’re willing to sacrifice themselves without hesitation was really amazing.

Out of those dead, or presumed dead, who would you bring back and why?

This is a really tough question because I think everyone’s deaths, although mostly heartbreaking and sad, have served a purpose in spurring on those they leave behind on. But if you insist:

Syrio – I’d love to see him and Arya meet up in Braavos and become a water dancing team.

Barristan Selmy – one of the ‘old guard’ of amazing knights from the previous generation in Westeros, this man was a legend. Everything a knight should be.

The Three-Eyed Raven – Bran’s just not ready for what he’s got to do.

Osha – Rickon needs her.

I wish Jory and/or Rodrick Cassel were still around to protect the remaining Starks. And Maester Luwin, while we’re at it

Dany’s horse The Silver – because it was a constant reminder of Drogo, and he would’ve liked to have been remembered by a horse. And sometimes she might fancy something a bit more chilled than dragon riding.

Who were you most happy to see killed?

I think Game of Thrones has to be the only situation I have ever been vaguely pleased to see a child die. Fuck you, Olly.

Who do you think would make the best spouse?

I think the books have a much wider range of options, but keeping it with the show: Samwell Tarly has definite potential, as does Jon Snow (not just because of his face). I weirdly fancy Jaime Lannister a bit too! But I actually think I’d go for Loras Tyrell (if we weren’t related of course) as I do think the Tyrell’s are very strong and are quickly manoeuvring themselves into increasingly strong positions. Although, I’d probably have to get myself a bit on the side…..

Out of all the methods used to kill on the show, which would you rather use to kill and which to be killed by?

I’d love to be an amazing archer, you could sneak around and take people out without them even knowing. And you don’t have to get in the thick of battle (usually). I think, if I had to go, I’d prefer to drown. Apparently, it’s quite a peaceful way to go, once you get past the panicky bit.

“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.” Tell us your favourite quote from the show.

There are so many fab quotes that I can’t possibly think of them all right now! Narrowing my choice to this season, two have really stood out to me.

“You are small men” Daenerys Targaryen.

“I wonder if you’re the worst person I’ve ever met …. at a certain age, it’s hard to recall. But the truly vile do stand out through the years” Olenna Tyrell.

]]>http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/game-thrones-tag/feed/0An Honest OOTDhttp://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/an-honest-ootd/
http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/an-honest-ootd/#respondThu, 05 May 2016 22:46:11 +0000http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/?p=2060It’s no secret I’m a big fan of black leggings. I think they’re super comfy, they go with everything and they show off your legs without looking overly in-your-face (my mum would disagree). Contrary to popular opinion, I only own eight pairs, not hundreds. But hundreds would certainly be useful. I’ve never been the best […]

]]>It’s no secret I’m a big fan of black leggings. I think they’re super comfy, they go with everything and they show off your legs without looking overly in-your-face (my mum would disagree). Contrary to popular opinion, I only own eight pairs, not hundreds. But hundreds would certainly be useful.

I’ve never been the best at getting up early, and having glandular fever recently hasn’t helped (it was six months ago, but I’m still using it as an excuse). For those early lectures, I really can’t be bothered to faff around with clothes that much. So, despite the fact I’m doing a fashion degree, my usual uniform consists of black leggings and some sort of sweater – usually grey. Paired with my favourite Urban Outfitters Harrington Jacket and Nike trainers, I’m ready to go like the basic white bitch I am.

(#poser)

Cap: eBay

Jumper: Urban Outfitters

Bodysuit (not visible): Boohoo

Harrington Jacket: Urban Outfitters

Leggings: Topshop

Shoes: Nike Air Max Thea

Necklace: Gift

Ring: Pandora

Hoop Earrings: Accessories (probably…)

My advice: wear two pairs of leggings! Sounds strange, but it avoids the awful visible pants issue, keeps you warm and helps to flatten out any VPLs you might have should you not be wearing the right sort of pants.

So while this might not be the most fashion-forward outfit I could produce from my vast wardrobe, it is an honest OOTD. If you happened to pop into uni and see me, this is what I’d probably be wearing. #fashionstudent

Ignoring the slight snowing incident at the end of April, summer is coming. I always find it easier to be braver with what I wear over summer, so maybe I’ll have some more interesting I’ve-Planned-This-Look-For-Hours-But-I’m-Going-To-Pretend-It’s-Something-I’d-Wear-Everyday OOTDs soon.

Or maybe not.

Panda Eyes xx

The cute suede cap belongs to my friend Charlotte, who bought it off eBay. The only hats I own are beanies, but I actually liked this cap way more than I thought I would! I *might* buy one … someday…

]]>http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/an-honest-ootd/feed/0Spring Makeup Wishlisthttp://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/spring-makeup-wishlist/
http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/spring-makeup-wishlist/#commentsFri, 22 Apr 2016 13:51:43 +0000http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/?p=2053Why is it that all your expensive makeup seems to run out at the same time? I haven’t written a beauty post in a very long time, but I haven’t stopped thinking about makeup and I still find it hard to pull myself away from makeup counters. The obsession is still very much real. But […]

]]>Why is it that all your expensive makeup seems to run out at the same time?

I haven’t written a beauty post in a very long time, but I haven’t stopped thinking about makeup and I still find it hard to pull myself away from makeup counters. The obsession is still very much real. But nothing cures a hangover like a trawl through the makeup sites, and there’s no procrastination like writing a blog post! So while I avoid doing any work on my Fashion Promotion essay, have a read of my spring makeup wishlist.

Most of these items are all-time favourites and staples of my makeup bag, but there are a few others that are completely new products I’d love to try.

This mascara has been limping along in my makeup bag for quite a few weeks, and it’s finally got to the point where I can’t kid myself anymore: it’s old, and dried up, and I need a new one. To be fair, it’s been nearly a year since I bought it! One of my favourite ‘night-out’ mascaras, YSL Shocking really does give a ‘false-lash effect’ and the packaging is gorgeous (which, on balance, probably isn’t that important. But when you’re paying £25, it’s nice if it looks nice).

I can’t count the number of times I’ve swatched Sun Beam at Benefit counters around the country, and convinced myself I don’t need it because it’s very similar to the many hundreds of other highlighters I own. I always think how good it would look with a summery tan, and summer is coming! So no, I really don’t need it, but I still want it.

This is the closest thing I have to a signature fragrance. Dior perfumes have always been my favourite, especially this Miss Dior range. I’ve only got a couple of millimetres left at the bottom of my bottle, so I’m going to make that last until my holiday in July (when I can pick it up in Duty-Free!)

In the gamble of genetics, I was blessed with lovely dark under-eyes. I’ve tried cucumber, tea bags, green tea bags, cold compresses, hot compresses – none of them had any effect whats-so-ever. I’ve resigned myself to the fact its just what my face looks like. Something that does work though is Bobbi Brown’s under-eye corrector. It doesn’t ‘cure’ them, but it covers them up pretty damn well. Which is just as good, as far as I’m concerned!

Although I’m loving my new Better than Sex mascara (from Too Faced of course), I do miss using Roller Lash. For me, it’s the perfect everyday mascara. I find the formula easier to apply, as it’s less wet, and I don’t necessarily want huge, thicklashes all the time!

Is there a makeup-obsessed girl on the planet who doesn’t want to get her hands on a Kylie lip kit? Considering the speed at which they sell-out, I’m thinking probably not. Being the makeup hoarder I am, I want one (or two) of each of the collections!

Hier Metal Matte Lipstick – $18 (£12)

So Cute Gloss – $15 (£10)

Candy K Matte Liquid Lipstick – $29 (£20)

Dolce K Matte Liquid Lipstick $29 (£20)

I have to pay about £10 for postage to the UK, and possibly import tax as well, so I’m going to try and get Hier or So Cute in the next re-stock. £30+ just feels a little steep for a lipstick I’m not sure I’ll even like, whereas £20+ is a little easier to stomach.

I think most of these items will be on my wishlist for a while, seeing as it’d cost me something like £250 to get everything! I’ll definitely be picking up the more expensive things in duty-free in the summer. I’ll probably treat myself to a few bits when I hand in my final assignment and finish my first year of uni in a few weeks!

]]>http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/spring-makeup-wishlist/feed/1ZSL London Zoohttp://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/zsl-london-zoo/
http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/zsl-london-zoo/#respondSun, 17 Apr 2016 17:43:04 +0000http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/?p=2034Although Coco is, of course, my favourite, I love animals of all shapes and sizes. I’ve been wanting to go to a zoo again for months, as I don’t think I’ve been to one since ZooDoo in Tasmania. And ZooDoo isn’t exactly what you’d call a conventional zoo … (I’d need a whole post to truly explain it, but […]

]]>Although Coco is, of course, my favourite, I love animals of all shapes and sizes. I’ve been wanting to go to a zoo again for months, as I don’t think I’ve been to one since ZooDoo in Tasmania. And ZooDoo isn’t exactly what you’d call a conventional zoo … (I’d need a whole post to truly explain it, but their tagline is ‘The Hands on Zoo’, and let’s just say that health and safety wasn’t their primary concern)

Last Thursday, I dragged my sister up to London to visit London Zoo for the afternoon. We last went there with our Dad, when we were really little. It looked nothing like I remember, but then I don’t remember much. I do remember the bull elephant doing a poo in front of a huge crowd (because small me found that hilarious) but other than that, not much!

I had a really great afternoon and took advantage of the chance to practice some wildlife photography.

Penguin Beach was the cutest way to start, the little Humbolt penguins had the funniest personalities and were all charging around all over the place. I could have watched them swimming all day!

Butterfly Paradise was the first walkthrough exhibit we went to. It was full of the most beautiful butterflies and moths, but sadly we weren’t lucky enough for any of them to land on us. Apparently they only mistake you for a flower if you’re wearing bright colours – so that was unlikely to happen to me. I live in black, white and grey!

Charlie wanted to go into the B.U.G.S building, which I can’t say was my favourite. The insects were interesting, but they give me the jitters even when they’re behind glass. And there is no way in hell anyone could get me in the ‘In With the Spiders’ exhibit! There were other animals in there too, including some underwater creatures and this adorable little posing frog!

I found the new Land of the Lions exhibit a little disappointing; it felt a bit ‘Disney’ for me. But then London Zoo is probably mostly designed for kids! The lions themselves were very hard to see, all the females were lounging up in a corner and the male was nowhere to be seen (to the point where I’m sceptical he even exists!). I love big cats though, so I was happy the tigers were more active. I absolutely love tigers; they’re just stunning animals.

When they’re not yawning ferociously, the pygmy hippos are very cute!

It was feeding time when we got to the Gorillas, and their two little babies were just the cutest! You can just about see the youngest being held by her mum in this picture, but just look at the other one! SO CUTE!

I was quite annoyed when we got to the ‘Into Africa’ exhibit, as I was desperate to see the Giraffes. We could just about see them, but they’d gone into their house to eat and the doors were shut behind them. Luckily, when we got around to the other side, you could go into the Giraffe House and get up really close to them. Giraffes are some of my favourite animals – even though they look really weird, they’re still incredibly beautiful!

Another real highlight of the Zoo for me was the ‘In With the Lemurs’ exhibit. They’ve created a walkway through a the Ring-Tailed Lemurs Madagascan shrub forest home, so you can get so close to them (as long as you don’t touch!). They’re such funny animals, and it’s such an exciting experience to be able to get so close to the animals – one even brushed my back with its tail as it walked past.

London Zoo is pretty small, but if you’re in London and stuck for something to do it’s a fantastic day out! We spent about 3 hours there, which we thought would be more than enough, but I could’ve done with an hour or two more as there was lots we didn’t see.

Now I’m back in Southampton, I’ll definitely be getting some friends together for a trip to Marwell Zoo soon!

]]>http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/zsl-london-zoo/feed/0New York Photo Diaryhttp://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/new-york-photo-diary/
http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/new-york-photo-diary/#commentsThu, 07 Apr 2016 12:10:46 +0000http://www.peppermintandpandaeyes.co.uk/?p=2005If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that a couple of weeks ago, I was able to cross another item off my bucket list and visit New York! I’ve wanted to visit NYC for so long, and when the opportunity came up at uni, I couldn’t say no. I had such an amazing time; […]

]]>If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that a couple of weeks ago, I was able to cross another item off my bucket list and visit New York! I’ve wanted to visit NYC for so long, and when the opportunity came up at uni, I couldn’t say no. I had such an amazing time; even after a terrible first night during which I hated New York and decided I was never travelling again. It makes me laugh, looking back, but what can I say. Jet-lagged and hangry.

Travel posts are some of my favourites to write, but unfortunately, I don’t have the funds to be doing it a lot at the moment! I really loved making my Marseille Photo Diary, and as I haven’t written anything on here for months, I thought I’d do a similar one for New York.

*Please excuse the funny photo layout. I edited some of the images for Instagram so they have large (and invisible!) white borders*

Day One

Our first day (I’m not even going to talk about our first night), we started with breakfast in the amazing Big Daddy’s diner, before heading down to Times Square. We explored a bit, shopped a lot, and bought tickets for a basketball game at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn. The game was so much fun: we started out with no idea what was happening, and by the end I was so into it. As you can tell from our hats, we’ve all become big time Brooklyn Nets fans.

Day Two

On day two, we spent most of the day in Central Park. We walked from Colombus Square to the boating lake, which took a lot longer than we thought it would, as we were distracted by amazing street performers and photo opportunities! The weather was amazing, so we took rowing boats out on the lake and ate ice creams. When I’m next in New York, I’d love to visit the Central Park Zoo, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art!

Day Three

Our last day was probably my favourite day because we managed to get so much done. We started on Fifth Avenue, with the St Patrick’s Day Parade (before things started to get messy), before heading down to the High Line walk and Chelsea Market. We made it down to Battery Park with literally minutes to spare to get on the last boat to the Statue of Liberty, which also took us around Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge and up the Hudson River to Times Square (New York Water Taxi if anyone’s interested!). The weather was … dodgy, but I think the moody clouds looking amazing in the photos. Then we walked up to the One World Trade Centre and the 9/11 Memorial, which was much more emotional than I was expecting. We walked through Grand Central on our way to our last meal at this fab Chinese restaurant (Evergreen on 38) before eating Dunkin Donuts in Times Square at midnight!

I had such a fantastic trip, thank you to everyone at Winchester School of Art and the Fashion Marketing/Management course for making it happen!

Although, if I’m totally honest, New York wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. Everyone I spoke to said I would love it, but I can’t honestly say that I do. I like it, it’s a fun place and I’ll definitely go back one day, but there was something about the ‘atmosphere’ that didn’t make me fall in love. It’s not exactly like it seems in the movies. What can I say, London will always have my heart.